.png&width=40&type=webp)
Hall of Fame Spotlight: Dafina Dunmore
1/20/2015 10:00:00 AM | General, Track and Field, Athletics
By Marc Bowman
Leadership and success define Dafina Dunmore.
Following a successful high school track career, Dunmore came to UMKC and helped develop the track and cross country teams into successful programs.
Along with her sister, Dunmore took a leadership role.
“Dafina and Saran were there to begin the program,” said cross country and distance coach Phil Byrne. “The two things that really stick in my mind: they were great leaders, leading by example, and they were more than willing to put in the work on the track and on the cross country course.”
Dunmore, along with older sister Kilolo and younger sister Saran, began running competitively shortly before high school.
“Our parents thought it would be something to keep us active,” she said. “We all three ran in high school. It paid for our college education.”
Dunmore credits Morgan Park high school track coach Derrick Calhoun with much of her success.
“He was very instrumental,” she said. “In addition to helping us succeed on the track, I attribute to him the ability to get a scholarship.”
After a year at Indiana University, she and Saran came to UMKC, and it wasn't long before both took on a strong role with the team.
“My biggest memories of Dafina, of her greatest attributes, are that she was a strong leader and she was an encourager,” Byrne said. “She helped her teammates become better.”
Byrne's description fits Dunmore's ideal of a leader.
“It's someone that makes good decisions and has sound judgment,” she said. “It's important to have your actions be consistent with what you say. I think a leader should be a positive person who naturally motivates people.”
Although it was hard work, she still enjoyed her experience.
“It was a lot of fun,” she said. “It was like a big family. We put in the work and had to make a lot of sacrifices. Other college kids were able to go to parties but we had to train. I met some life-long friends and have some great memories.”
After winning the Mid-Con indoor conference title in the 800-meter run in 1995 and 1996, her conference outdoor championship in the 800-meter run was one of her sharpest memories.
“I was signed up to run 1500 and 800 (meters),” she recalled. “Coach Byrne had always told me 'you could be really good at 1500 if you put your mind to it' so I signed up to run both. The 1500 (race) was first. It was kind of a risk because there was only a 45-minute break between it and the 800. I really wanted to go and win the 1500 and the 800, but I had to focus on 1500 because that was first.
“The strategy was to stay in second place until the kick. It worked perfectly, but I got impatient and kicked before I should have, at 300 (meters). With 15 meters left I assumed it was just the two of us, but there was someone else right on my shoulder. When I'd started my kick, she went with me. At the very end, the girl who was in third passed me and I got second. That was kind of heartbreaking, but I thought 'now I've got to go out and win the 800' and I did. That was pretty rewarding.”
Dunmore believes she had the right physical attributes to succeed at those distances.
“It's a combination of speed and endurance,” she said. “I didn't have enough speed to be a sprinter, but enough to utilize it with the endurance I had. My favorite was the 800, but later in my career I enjoyed the 1500. I preferred the 800 because it was a faster race. Everybody wants to be a sprinter, but I quickly realized I wasn't a sprinter.”
After her track career, Dunmore continued to find success in school, returning to UMKC to get an MBA in finance.
She began her career at Boatman's Bank, then later moved to Washington, DC, to work as a stockbroker. She now works as a bond analyst with Fitch Rating in Chicago.
Her former coach saw success in her future.
“I knew from what she showed on the track that she was going to be successful in life,” Byrne said. “Seeing what she's accomplished as a woman since then and with the success of her company almost makes me more proud than what she did on the track.”
Dunmore continues to grow and succeed off the track.
“I like to enjoy life,” she said. “Right now I'm enjoying what I'm doing. I have new challenges that keep me interested. I've started DJing. Finance is not a creative job, but it doesn't define who I am.”
She will be officially enshrined into the UMKC Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday night in downtown Kansas City at 6 p.m. at the College Basketball Experience, next to the Sprint Center.
Each member of the Hall of Fame will be spotlighted this week leading up to the induction ceremony.
